bracelets and rings
by dress without sleeves
Summary: Kelly wants to make friendship rings. Because she and Ryan are, like, the new Zanessa!


**Author's Notes:** Just re-watched season 3 . . . and it confirmed my suspicions. Ryan-- well, I wouldn't say he _loves_ Kelly, but he definitely doesn't hate her.

He just doesn't know it. And he'll be back. Season 4, Season 5. He'll be back.

By the way: Mystix Bracelets really do exist. And that is their actual advertisement.

bracelets and rings

_for B.J. Novak_

_who I am liking more and more_

"MyStix Bracelets and rings: combine semi-precious chips with glass beads to make stretch bracelets that have mystical powers."

Ryan's eyes skim over the words again, because he sort of can't even believe that it is even real. His jaw drops a little bit and he looks slowly up at Kelly, who is smiling hugely and has her hands clasped behind her back. "I _know_," she gushes, "isn't it like, _so cool_?"

He blinks. Sometimes he really, _really_ can't believe he's been with her a whole year. "Um."

He waits; usually she just talks over him anyway and he can get away with silence. But today she rocks back on her heel and looks at him patiently, so he adds half-heartedly, "What sort of powers?"

She rolls her eyes like he's the dumbest person alive. The irony of this is striking. "The mystical sort, duh," she replies. "Well I know you won't want a bracelet because of your male ego or whatever but I was thinking if we made rings together they could be like-- friendship rings." She squeals, hands shooting out in front of her chest to clap like a four year old. "Oh, Ryan, we're _so _like the new Zanessa!" Pause. "Only, like, I'm not going to take naked pictures of myself for you, because I mean I know we're totally in love and all that but like . . . I mean, if they got on the internet it could totally ruin everything."

He is exponentially grateful for this.

"I'm not wearing a beaded ring, Kelly," he states dully.

Her eyes widen, like she's so totally shocked that he's not, like, c.f.o. with joy. (He learned this term, c.f.o., two days ago when she IMed him to say that her High School Musical 2 CD had finally arrived. Apparently it's lingo for 'completely flipping out', and it hurts him to know this.) "But . . . Zac Efron did it for Vanessa Hudgens," she says, bewildered.

"I am not Zac Efron," he points out, and then adds grudgingly, "Also, they are wearing classy silver rings and not . . . mystical MyStix."

He feels a little sick at the thought that he actually knows enough about "Zanessa" to have this argument.

She pouts. "Um, _duh._ Why do you think her naked pictures got out everywhere?" She holds up the packet of beads. "Bet she wishes she'd been wearing _these_."

He gives her a firm look. "No! How many times do I have to say it?"

And then she looks at him, all weepy-eyed, like him refusing to wear her stupid beaded ring was going to actually kill her, like she as the best girlfriend in the world and he was responsible for every bad thing that had ever happened in the history of the world. "Just one more time," she muttered, resigned, eyes downcast. Then she looked up right into his face. "If you say no again I'll give up and won't _bother _you anymore."

He winces, because it's really not her _fault_ that she's an annoying bimbo. "Kelly . . ."

She stands, glowering down at him. "You know what? Fine. If you don't love me enough, then fine!"

She marches out of the cubicle and down the hall; Ryan focuses on the relief in his stomach and ignores the part of him that's a little sorry.

---

When she gets to work the next morning, there's a little box on her desk. Kelly opens it excitedly, thinking her HSM2 CD must have been shipped here accidentally instead of her house. But that box opens into a little box, which opens to reveal a little silver ring sitting on a white satin bed. The word _Kelly_ is engraved across the top in the most beautiful cursive she's ever seen.

"Sorry it's not beaded."

She turns to see Ryan leaned against the cubical, arms crossed over his chest casually. She screams and flings her arms around him, jumping up and down and showing off her finger to the camera. "LOOK! LOOK! OMIGODOMIGOD! RYAN YOU ARE THE BEST BOYFRIEND _EVER_!"

She kisses him all over his face and he shoots the camera a look like _oh my god not again._ But even the cameraman can see that he's smiling, just a little bit.

And he doesn't push her away.


End file.
